0
Pull-thru
USFSTahoe National Forest · California
Cottonwood Creek
Overview Cottonwood Creek Campground is located on Highway 89, four miles south of Sierraville.
Sites4840 reservable
Elev.5,689ft
Comf.May-Oct6 months
Max rig45 ft
Electricnonesites
From Sacramento2h40real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 5,689 ft, Cottonwood Creek has a 6-month comfortable window (May-Oct). Winter nights average around 23°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 48 sites total: 40 reservable and 8 first-come, first-served. Within about 4 miles: 2 peaks, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and reservability. Softest on roomy sites.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Jul
May-Oct
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
95%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
May 27
Last spring frost; first fall frost Oct 11.
52°F
Average July low. Bring a fleece.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Sacramento
120 mi
2h40
02
San Francisco
217 mi
4h49
03
Fresno
255 mi
5h40
04
Los Angeles
516 mi
11h28
05
San Diego
655 mi
14h33
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 0.2 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 48 SITES
Color byShow only
48 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
0
Accessible
0
Prime
48
Sites
★ The standout
Site 049
COTTONWOOD CREEK · shaded.
To neighbor
117 ft
Max rig
25 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
10
Peaks
2
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
0.2 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.